multisport4life

I've been a roadie for the past 3 years, recreational only so far. Anyways, I live 4 miles from work and I feel pretty darn guilty that I don't commute by bike. I figure I may as well come clean to the pros of commuting and see if anyone can help me over the hump.

Here's the dealio:
1) I ride a road bike (Bianchi XL) that isn't exactly the ideal steed for a commute to work.

2) Due to said road bike above, wife not too pleased about idea of spending a lot more money. Big surprise, right?

3) I live near Dallas, Texas...you know, the pereptual heat wave during summer months.

I tried to commute one day but it was quite a hassle. I had to wear shorts and of course my bike shoes so when I got to work I had to change pretty much all of my clothes. I can't wear pants on the bike b/c of the chain and the LOOKs aren't safe to wear my regular shoes. Packing the clothes in the backpack generally renders any ironing pointless. I don't want to make any changes to my road bike because I use it regularly, and I would love to go out and purchase a Dr. Dew but I would get shot in between the eyes when I brought it home.

I could go pick up a used hardtail for $200, but what if my commute changes to 15 miles? Plus, that still has the chain mess problem. I would like to be able to get dressed for work, maybe wear some tennis shoes, strap on the skid lid and ride to work. Take a backpack with "oops it started raining" gear and, in the summer, some clothes for the very hot ride home. Any suggestions? I'm sorry if you folks get this all the time, but I'm sure I'm asking in the right place.

OregonBound

I see two solutions.

1. Drive one day a week and take a weeks worth of clothes in. The next week, bring the first week's home and leave another week's worth there.

2. By the used hardtail, put some slicks on it, cheap rack, cheap panniers. Roll your clothing and it won't wrinkle much at all--I've been doing it for 10 years.

So your commute may become 15 miles? It might become 50 or you might die tonight. Live in the present moment!

Paul :-)

PaulH

No reason why a road bike should not work for a 4 mile trip. Aren't there some pedals that are clipless on one side, platform on the other? Dress shoes are stiffer than tennis shoes and might work better on the pedals, though.

Before I got my current bike (with hub gears, fenders, and chainguard), I commuted using both a hybrid and a road bike. A few rubber bands oround my pants leg solved the chain problem. It is more hassle than I liked, but it does work. Road bikes do work quite well on the road You will really want fenders, though, wenever the road is wet, raining or not.

If you do have to change clothing, the backpack can help -- if, and only if you roll the clothing before it goes in the pack. Do not fold -- because the heat and humidity can turn those folds into creases where you don't want 'em.

To attain your goal of "get dressed, hop on the bike, and go", I suspect you may have to get another bike, which is the solution your wife does not like. On the other hand, if your wife realizes that it means she would be able to borrow your car whenever hers is in the shop, she might find the additional expenditure a good investment. That's my experience.

Paul

MI_rider

I would commute on your road bike for now and if you get hooked
then by the commuter bike.

Leave your work shoes at work so you don't have to carry them
everyday. Roll the clothes in your back pack so they don't wrinkle.
A couple of rubber bands or a velcro strap will solve the riding in
pants problem.

Steve

caloso

multisport: I also live 4 miles from work and have been commuting on my road bike for several years now. Sunday nights I bring in 4x dress shirts, u/w, socks. I have a suit, another pair or two of dress slacks, and a bunch of ties that I keep at the office. Fortunately, my office has a shower room with lockers. If you're not so lucky, you can hang your clothes on the back of your door or use a file cabinet creatively.

Monday through Thursday I meet my buddy for a 6:30am workout. I go directly to the office from that.

Fridays are usually casual dress here so I ride in khakis and a polo shirt or guayabera. You can buy a fluorescent reflective pants cuff band at the LBS for a couple of bucks. Rubber bands work too. I go slow so I don't get sweaty.

It takes a bit of planning, but after a while it just becomes part of your routine. Then you'll find yourself looking for detours and alternate routes. Pretty soon, you'll be logging hundred mile weeks without even thinking about it.

Try it. You won't be sorry.

MichaelW

4 miles is a nice short easy commute. Work out the costs of your current commute. A bike will save you money. The best option is probably a used touring style bike, which has rack and fenders. A decent used hybrid or ridgid MTB will also do the job and the difference in speed wont make a huge difference. A pannier bag (you just need 1) is a better way than a backpack esp in very hot weather.
Over 4 easy miles, the difference in speed between clipless pedals and toe clips is marginal, so you could wear tennis shoes.

You have to think about a short commute differently to a training ride. Cooling down at the end of a hard ride takes time, so ride at an easy pace, and cool down on the bike. You will travel more slowly, but your journey will be as quick.
You dont need to dress like a Tour de France rider over that distance. You can if you want to and have the kit, but its not mandatory.
In cool weather, commuting is easier than in summer heat. You can even ride right through the winter.

multisport4life

Lots of good advice. Here's what I'm thinking now.

I work in a cubicle with no place to hang clothes and I have very little room. We have no shower facilities or any spare rooms where I could store clothes easily. I like the idea of the pannier bag because (a) I don't like the heavy backpack on by back and (b) the backpack is really hot during the summer.

They do make pedals that clip on one side and not on the other. However, I'm not putting those on my bike. I not only road ride with that bike, but I also do triathlon. It gets weekly use as a roadie. Also, I have LOOKs. That means I'd have to buy the pedals and the cleats for my shoes, and every time I wanted to ride with the LOOKs I'd have to switch over pedals and cleats. Just not something I'm willing to do. I could use my road bike for the commute but it just isn't carefree like I want it to be. When I ride roadie style I'm on farm to market roads and low traffic areas, and I'm never not on my bike. Commuting with a $3,000 bike just doesn't put my mind at ease at all. And there is no option for putting fenders on even if I could bring myself to do it, which I couldn't. I'm leaning towards the used hardtail or hybrid idea and putting on cheap racks/panniers. If I can do that for less than $250 maybe the wife will go for it.

The rubberbands thing is great. I'll have to give that a try. I'm not looking to Tour de France it to work, just a nice casual slow ride in where I don't have to worry about curbs or clipping in and out or laying the bike down or chaining it up outside the convenience store. Oh wait, as I'm writing this I'm remembering that my FIL has a Specialized Expedition that he rarely ever uses. Maybe I can ride that for a few months until I get the hang of things.

You guys have helped a lot. Good advice all around. I'll try to post an update if I can get things rolling. Thanks.

nathank

you _could_ commute on the nice road bike, but i think picking up a cheap MTB or touring bike would be a lot better. less than $250 with rack and fenders should be no problem...

i personally like to fully change clothes for any commute over about 2 miles so that i can ride hard (for the last 2.5 years i have had a 7mile commute which is just enough to do some decent training) and not worry about sweating all over my work clothes. i wear full bike gear and carry my clothes rolled in a pannier and change completely from underwear to socks to shoes in the company bathroom (fortunately ours are very clean as have been bathrooms at most companies i have worked for). we don't have showers here. ok, here isn't as hot as Dallas (i lived 18 years there) but if you ride slowly the last few minutes to cool down and then do some kind of a cool down walk or whatever, then go to the bathroom and wash your face, change your clothes and then wait a few minutes you will not be too sweaty. i used to do it in Houston TX. i know some guy uses paper towels or hand-wipes or whatever, but i find if i shower in the morning, ride to work, change and cool off i don't smell or anything...

panniers are better than backpack b/c not so hot (sweaty back).

4 miles is totally doable year round! try and ride 2-3 days a week and see how it goes. especially in winter the training is GREAT. i am already fit in th spring when everyone else is out of shape!

good luck!

Paul L.

I like my road bike but everyone has their own preference. Don't think of it as a hassle, think of it as a time saver since you are getting a workout at the same time as your commute. It will cease to be a hassle after awhile. At first it seems that way though (at least it did to me).

JDP

I also live in Dallas and did the commuting thing last summer and most of the year until recently. Now I just take DART because riding offroad and commuting was causing nerve damage in my hands. Here is what I recommend: Get a used bike of some kind. It's not going to make much difference for 4 miles. I commuted 10 on a MTB with bar ends and skinny tires. Rack and panniers is ideal but a backpack also works. Roll your clothes to keep them wrinkle free and buy some "wrinkle release" spray if you need to look really pressed. Dress cool but you don't need cycle clothes for 4 miles. If you have flex hours, leave early in the morning to stay cool. Use baby wipes and deoderant to clean up before changing. Cool down by taking it easy for the last mile or sitting inside for 15 minutes before changing. If you're hot, you'll keep sweating after changing. You'll have to spend some money but it is way cheaper than driving.

multisport4life

Hehe, I'm not too concerned about cost of driving versus cycling for 4 miles and I would just rather be on a bike than in a car if it is convenient. I'm sure "convenience" is partly a state of mind that will come after having biked to work for a while and worked out all the kinks. I think I'm going to look into the cheap used bike with panniers and possibly fenders. Maybe I'll go talk to Ben at the LBS today after work. It would probably be best to start now while I'm just needing to go 4 miles so that it isn't complicated by a longer commute later that prevents me from trying it. That is mostly why I asked in the first place, and I was correct in assuming I was in the right place. Thanks guys.

Oh, and Nathan in Munich: I don't know how you made it to Portland and then Munich, you lucky dog, but I'm trying my hardest to get out of here. Grew up here and there's lots to love, but I'm tired of the same ol' and Portland and Southern Germany are both places the wife and I have tried to move to. Almost made it to Stuttgart this year but things fell through. Live it up man, we're hot on your heels!

JDP

It's ammunition regarding point #2 in your original post.

multisport4life

I know, and it would work if I commuted further but I doubt she'll see the monetary advantage in the 4-mile commute. I don't want to paint her as the evil money hoarder...she is a roadie as well actually. She's just better with money than I am. I'm sure she would like to see me bike commute, we just probably don't have the wad to throw at a nice new bike right now. I think I could probably talk her into a couple hundred bucks.

foehn

my husband commutes 25 miles (50 miles round trip) 3 days a week. On monday he takes 1 pair of pants in and keeps his dressier shoes and the pants in his cubicle to wear those commuting days. He packs on a rack his work shirts, dress socks, lunch and whatever else he thinks he might need.

If you cannot mount a regular rack on your road bike, try a good sized handlebar bag. Backpacks are VERY hot in the heat, but could be successfully used during good days in the winter.

cerewa

in my opinion:
use full fenders
if you live in a place where it rains more than 4 days a year, it's worth it.

regarding spending a couple hundred bucks...

consider spending 100 or less. buy a value-village/goodwill/salvation army bike. if it's a multispeed bike that works, and it's not riding on knobby tires, the most it'll slow you down is about 1 minute per 4 mile trip.

i had a great 10-speed schwinn that i bought for $20. only thing that could have possibly made me significantly faster is better bearings and tires. (or an aerodynamic recumbent bicycle.)

if you have a really cheap bike and you lock it up, you're almost 100% guaranteed not to have it stolen, and if for some reason it gets damaged, you're not out much money.

multisport4life

Hmm, so garage sales might be a good idea is what you're saying. Hadn't thought of that, but that is a really good idea.

Andy Dreisch

In a way I'm thankful to be 20 miles from work. 4 miles and I doubt if I'd bother. I used to be 12 miles from work and that was actually about perfect (20 miles is pretty lengthy, at least for me). But then again, I commute primarily for fitness ... all the other bennies are nice but secondary.

My cutoff point would probably be around 10 miles. That to me is about where the costs of doing a commute balance the bennies arising from the commute.

Even after 4 miles I'd be sweaty as hell in Texas so I'd have to fulliy invest in showering, packing, etc. That is all a pretty big time/effort investment for only 4 miles in my view.

Good luck on your choices and let us know how it goes. I encourage you to give it a go and perhaps build more miles by taking the long way.

nathank

well to each his own, but i disagree... i have had commutes of 1.5 miles, 3 miles, 6 miles, 8 miles and now 7 miles...

the longer commutes are good b/c they are long enough for some decent training... although as you said 10+ miles is better, BUT short commutes in the <4mile range are nice: you don't need a nice bike and usually don't have to change (i usually change my shirt in the summer anyway) and you spend less time commuting so there is more time for 100% rec rides.

i would actually say my perfect commute was my old 1.5mile commute in NW Portland - long enough to be on the bike and "feel" the neighborhood (NW Portland is very nice), but short enough that if in a hurry it took less than 15 minutes (ridiing causually, i ALWAYS beat my roommate who worked at the same company and drove as he had to look for parking - even though he would "race" to try and beat me)

as others have said to costs: unless you're a real cheapskate, don't commute to save money (even though you will) - commute b/c you love being on the bike and/or want to get more training time and hate wasting time in a car. as to your wife's concerns about money: buying a used bike will almost certainly save you money over a 6-month period (and then keep on saving you money) --- and you also might check on other savings like auto insurance (in the US when i still had a car for weekend trips i got my insurance reduced quite a bit by listing my car as a recreation vehicle as my primary transport to and from work was my bicycle)

nathank

yeah, moving to Portland in '97 was one of the best decisions of my life (from worst city of the world Houston which was tough after Austin and even Dallas which i also hate). i had always wanted to live in/near the mountains (my parents although both native Texans lived 2 years in Colorado just before i was born but my dad never found a "real" job). then because of a serious of events in 2000/2001 (grad school) i made another move and my final 2 choices were Boulder CO and Munich... i decided "now or never" for Munich and have been having a great time!

Texas has nice people and much of my family is there, but i could no longer live there - no mountains, no outdoors and there are not enough sporty/liberal/environmental type people for me... (i realize this MORE now that i have been gone so back and then return to visit) --- i mean have been in munich now 2 1/2 years and i do not own a car and i do everything i want by bike and train - i think that is just awesome!

P.S. i am working on a new project and temporarily (Oct-Dec) working 3 days a week in Stuttgart. it's a nice little city with some pretty hills RIGHT in town although a little too car-dominated for me (i returned today and was pleased to see all the Munich cyclists). i ride the fast-train 2 hours monday morning there and then 2hrs Wednesday evening back. it's ok although i hate living out of a hotel and miss my friends and girlfriend and my bike 2 1/2 days a week.

i'm still not decided but my next destination (hopefully long-term) will probably be either Munich, Switzerland, Colorado, Oregon, northern California or B.C.

good luck and just do it. don't waste money on all the materialism and live some adventure (after college i was on track to be a typical in-debt American but then sold my expensive car and moved to a not-so-expensive apartment and a little over a yr later i moved across country without debt which allowed me to not worry as much - then paid off my student loan 2 years later! and i've been free since!)

South Fulcrum

I don't like to encourage consumption, but I have a set of these adaptors so I can wear my regular shoes when I go to the coffee shop, bar, store, etc – really just whenever I don't want to deal with the shoes. Winwood makes these things for both Look and SPD.

dougc

I just sat down to do the math on the "couple hundred dollars" and I think that the figure is pretty optimistic. Unless you start by finding the deal of the century, it will cost more than that to get set up for full-time commuting, although occasional commuting could probably be done for less. Here's roughly what it cost me to get fully up and running. This did not happen all at once, but you should be prepared for it.

Bike - $0 (Trashpicked Schwinn World Sport frame)
Wheels - $70 (replace old steel-rims, better braking)
Derrailuers, crankset, brake levers - $10 (from another yard-sale bike, 105 w/Biopace chainrings)
Stem, bar - $40 (pure vanity. Could have used old stuff)
Paint - $15 (spray cans)
Freewheel - $25
Chain - $20
Pedals - $20
Bar tape - $15
Blinkie - $10
Rack - $40
Panniers - $90
Fenders - $45
Computer - $25
Pump - $25
Headlight - $90
Rain jacket - $32 (o2, ProPore)
Rain pants - $40
Reflective vest - $20
Tires - $25

Add this up and my "free" commuter cost me $592. Much of this was on the necessities of commuting, not the bike itself. If you don't intend to ride in the dark, your cost could be a bit lower.

I wear a pair of shorts and a Walmart CoolMax tshirt in the summer and just wear my casual work clothes in the colder weather. I keep couple of pairs of shoes under my desk. My commute is 5.5 miles and I only need to do a quick washup in the bathroom when I arrive at work during the summer months.

PdxMark

I've finally found the commuter for me. It's not the hardtail with slicks, or the nice road bike either, it's a fixed gear bike. You can put one together for $100-$200, or buy a new Bianchi or Specialized for $600 or less. It's fun, simple, and a great workout. I now have fenders & lights on it for the winter.

howling.fantods

looks to me like this list is kinda extreme. your "free" commuter was actually $240, if you exclude stuff like racks and lights but include stuff like chain, freewheel, wheels, etc. it's fair to assume that multisport, who's already a cyclist, probably already owns some of the other stuff you listed, like blinkies, pump, and rain clothes. probably owns a computer too, though why one needs a computer on a commuter beater is completely beyond me.

headlight $90 .... well, i dunno, depends on where you are i guess. i rely on my headlamp greater visibility to drivers, not for me to be able to see in the dark, since i ride on illuminated city streets. so i don't need the extremely powerful headlamp stuff, i just use a cateye lcd thing that cost me around $20.

clothing.... depends on how formal you have to be for work, i guess. if you're in a business-casual type place, khakis and knit shirts are perfectly fine for commuting and rolls up fine in a messanger bag, backpack, whatever pannier. if you have to be in a dress shirt and wool slacks, or ever have to wear suits, i would consider getting one of those special panniers that function like garment bags.

i commute bike->train->bike, total biking distance of around 4 miles. i use a 97 dale mtn bike, no suspension, with conti semi slicks. perfectly fine bike for commuting and errands. i agree that 4 miles is a bit short, but otoh, nothing says you have to take the shortest ride between 2 points. on my evening commute home, i often throw in a 10-15 mile loop before catching the bart back to berkeley. i also often get on my bike for nice little 10 mile rides during my lunch break. it's nice.

oh, one other thing: i fully agree that commuting on your bianchi is a bad idea. i'm sure theft rates are much better in dallas than the places i've commuted on bike (d.c., nyc, bay area) but i think it'd be insane to leave a bike as expensive as a bianchi xl sitting around in a bike rack all day long, every day, locked up in the same location.

Michel Gagnon

I too counted costs. Now resides the tricky question: "Which costs should I consider as 'commuting costs' and which don't count?"


Bike - $400 (in 1980 -- was my touring and sole bike until December 2000;
I now have another touring bike, so it only serves as a commuter)
I replaced both wheels and a fork last year when it was crashed (insurance paid)
Question : is it a commuting cost?
Rear derailleur : $35 (in 2000)
Stem (higher -- I'm not 20 anymore) : $40
Chain - $25 (every 2 years with year round cycling, almost never otherwise)
Toe clips- $8 (every 2-3 years)
Blinkie - $50 (? -- I have 1 fixed one on each bike (including kids bikes),
plus 2 mobile ones)
Racks - $60 (rear rack was actually bought for touring and serves for commuting ;
front rack was strictly bought for touring)
Panniers - $140 (Arkel's T42 originally for touring,
now for day rides and commuting)
Fenders - $40 (but I would have them anyways)
Pump - $35 (Road Morph -- bought for touring and long rides ;
not really for commuting as I would rather walk home than repair on the street)
Headlight - $100 (Shimano dynohub + Lumotec, once converted in CDN $)
(I built the wheel myself)
Rain jacket - $100 (end of the year sale --
also useful for touring or general walking)
Tires - $20 (or actually $100 per 3 years : slick summer tires and knobby winter tires)
Yearly maintenance (BB and headset) : $50 approx.


Apart from the tires and the yearly maintenance which are definitely added commuting-related costs, all the other costs would exist anyway if I were only using the bike for leasure.

On the other hand, commuting by foot with a single bus ticket per week is almost the same price because I almost wore through one pair of shoes per year.